Micronized Fat Injection
Solutions Regenerative Medicine offers advanced Micronized Fat Injection treatments designed to help reduce pain, improve mobility, and promote tissue regeneration with minimally invasive care.
Micronized Fat Injection for Joint Pain and Tissue Repair
Natural Joint Pain Relief
If you’re dealing with chronic joint pain, cartilage loss, or a soft tissue injury that hasn’t responded to conventional treatment, micronized fat injection may offer a path forward before turning to surgery or long-term pain medication. This regenerative therapy uses your body’s own adipose (fat) tissue, one of the richest accessible sources of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), pericytes (cells that help maintain blood vessel and tissue health), and growth factors, to support tissue repair from the inside out.
At Solutions Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, Arizona, Dr. Mareshah Dunning uses micronized fat as part of a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to musculoskeletal care. Unlike treatments that simply mask symptoms, micronized fat works with the body’s natural repair processes to support the tissue environment where pain originates.
What Is Micronized Fat and How Does It Work?
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Micronized fat is your own fat tissue that has been collected and prepared for injection with minimal processing. Unlike isolated cell preparations, micronized fat retains its natural extracellular matrix: the scaffold that keeps MSCs, pericytes, and growth factors in the environment they function best in.
Once injected into a damaged joint or tissue, these cells communicate with the surrounding environment through paracrine signaling (cell-to-cell chemical communication), releasing growth factors, cytokines (proteins that regulate inflammation), and anti-inflammatory molecules that support tissue maintenance. Published research suggests this signaling may help shift the local immune response from breaking tissue down to supporting repair.
This is fundamentally different from a corticosteroid injection, which reduces inflammation temporarily but does not support the underlying tissue environment. For patients who have been told they’ve reached the limit of cortisone shots, or who are looking for an alternative to surgery, opioids, or long-term pain medications with significant side effects, micronized fat may offer a next step that supports the joint rather than suppressing symptoms.
How Is Micronized Fat Harvested and Prepared?
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Dr. Dunning harvests micronized fat using the body-jet® eco, a closed, water-assisted liposuction system manufactured in Germany by Human Med AG and distributed in the US by CAREstream America. The body-jet® eco uses a gentle pulsating water-jet to dislodge fat cells from the fat layer just beneath the skin, typically from the abdomen, while minimizing trauma to the harvested cells.
The collected tissue is then processed through the FillerCollector® to create micronized particles between 650 and 850 micrometers. These particles are small enough for precise injection but large enough to preserve the intact stromal vascular niche (the natural cellular neighborhood that keeps stem cells functional). No centrifugation (spinning) or enzymatic digestion (chemical breakdown) is required, which means the tissue remains minimally manipulated and retains its natural biological architecture.
The entire harvest-to-injection process is completed same-day, in-office. Any additional fat harvested during the procedure can be preserved through cell banking for future use.
What Conditions Can Micronized Fat Injections Treat?
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Micronized fat may be appropriate for a range of musculoskeletal and nerve-related conditions where the tissue environment has been compromised by degeneration, injury, or chronic inflammation. Common applications at Solutions Regenerative Medicine include:
- Knee osteoarthritis, where a Phase III trial of 261 patients confirmed efficacy over placebo (Kim et al., 2023, PMID: 37345256) and 4-year follow-up data show sustained improvement (Onorato et al., 2024, PMID: 38212589)
- Hip osteoarthritis, where 3-year follow-up data show sustained pain relief and functional improvement (Natali et al., 2022, PMID: 36302901)
- Shoulder conditions, including glenohumeral OA with sustained improvement at 3 years (Natali et al., 2023, PMID: 37763077), rotator cuff pathology, and labral degeneration
- Hand, wrist, and elbow, including carpal tunnel syndrome, lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), and small joint degeneration, where adipose-derived stem cells have shown improvement in chronic tendon injuries with maximum benefit at one year (Khoury et al., 2021, PMID: 33501619)
- Ankle and foot conditions, including ankle OA and plantar fasciitis, where systematic reviews show significant improvement in pain and daily function
- Tendon and ligament injuries, including chronic tendinopathy (ongoing tendon damage), partial tears, and joint instability (Khoury et al., 2021, PMID: 33501619)
- Spine and nerve-related conditions, including facet joint degeneration, radiculopathy, mononeuropathy, and peripheral nerve injuries, where published research shows adipose-derived stem cells may support nerve regeneration and reduce nerve fibrosis (Sowa et al., 2016, PMID: 26818322)
- Autoimmune joint conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, where early clinical trials have shown safety and improved joint function (Park et al., 2022, PMID: 35241141)
- Cartilage support, where published research has demonstrated increased cartilage glycosaminoglycan content and decreased cartilage lesion size on MRI following treatment (Hudetz et al., 2017, PMID: 29027984)
All injections are performed under ultrasound or fluoroscopic (real-time X-ray) guidance to ensure precise placement at the target tissue. Dr. Dunning’s training in both imaging modalities, including fluoroscopy-guided procedures completed during a residency under interventional anesthesiologist and general surgeon Dr. Klee Bethel, allows her to match the guidance method to the anatomical target.
What to Expect During and After Treatment
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Micronized fat injection is an outpatient procedure performed entirely in-office. The fat harvest and injection process typically takes a full morning or afternoon. Dr. Dunning’s team uses surgical-suite level sterilization with multiple team members assisting throughout the procedure.
Because the body-jet eco is a closed, water-assisted system rather than a manual liposuction device, patients describe the harvest as slight discomfort with a sensation similar to an internal abdominal massage. Patient tolerance is significantly greater than with manual fat harvesting systems. Most patients experience mild soreness at the harvest and injection sites for several days. No general anesthesia is required.
Dr. Dunning recommends approximately two weeks of decreased activity following the procedure. Patients should plan to remain local for the first week to allow for an in-office follow-up. Gradual improvement develops over the following weeks and months as the biological response takes effect. Dr. Dunning provides individualized post-procedure guidance based on your specific condition, activity level, and treatment goals.
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What Does the Published Research Show?
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In published studies, micronized fat for musculoskeletal conditions has shown sustained improvement in both pain and function. A Phase III randomized controlled trial of 261 patients confirmed efficacy over placebo for knee OA (Kim et al., 2023, PMID: 37345256). Longer-term data suggest approximately 68% effectiveness at four years (Onorato et al., 2024, PMID: 38212589). Published MRI data have also shown increased cartilage glycosaminoglycan content and decreased cartilage lesion size following treatment (Hudetz et al., 2017, PMID: 29027984).
Maximal therapeutic benefit is typically observed between six months and one year, with published research showing sustained results well beyond that window.
Regenerative medicine is a developing field, and micronized fat is not a cure for osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease. However, the majority of patients are satisfied with their results. Dr. Dunning also optimizes your overall health and healing environment before and after treatment to give the injections the best possible conditions to work in. She discusses expected outcomes, realistic timelines, and whether micronized fat is the right option during your consultation.
Why Choose Dr. Dunning at Solutions Regenerative Medicine?
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Not all regenerative injections are created equal. Many providers perform a quick intake, review imaging, and inject. Dr. Dunning’s approach is different. Before any advanced regenerative treatment, she builds a thorough understanding of your pain generators, your diagnosis, and the tissue environment these injections are going into. This diagnostic-first approach uses prolotherapy, A2M, or corticosteroids to identify exactly where pain originates before applying micronized fat where it can do the most good.
Dr. Mareshah Dunning is one of few naturopathic physicians in Arizona offering both ultrasound and fluoroscopy-guided regenerative injection therapy. As an RMSK-certified diagnostic ultrasonographer, faculty lead for the Regenerative Medicine Honors Track at Sonoran University, and board member of the Naturopathic Orthopedic Medicine Academy, she brings specialized training that extends well beyond standard naturopathic practice. This level of diagnostic precision is a key reason her patients experience outcomes that exceed what is typically reported in the published research.
FAQ Micronized Fat Injection
Is micronized fat the same as stem cell therapy?
Regenerative medicine is an emerging field, and while we know from anatomy and physiology that adipose tissue is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells, the healing process involved in micronized fat injection is much different from what many clinics market as “stem cell therapy.” At Solutions Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, Arizona, Dr. Dunning uses micronized fat because it preserves the full biological environment of the tissue, not just isolated cells. The approach is the same concept that other providers are marketing as stem cell therapy, but Dr. Dunning does not overclaim what the treatment does. This is supported by published research and grounded in honest, evidence-based practice.
How long do micronized fat injection results last?
Does insurance cover micronized fat injections?
Am I a good candidate for micronized fat injection?
What is the body-jet® eco and why does it matter?
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